Messiah Mania

Up front, I must confess I really don’t know exactly what this might mean, prophetically speaking, with regard to Jesus’ answer to His disciples’ question: “What shall be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?” But developments are rapidly taking place surrounding Pope Francis’ death concerning the sudden emergence of a Messianic figure from within the Muslim world. I strongly suspect those developments have prophetic significance.

The following news story piqued my attention regarding a matter that’s long been swirling within the Islamic religion, as considered by students within Bible prophecy:

A powerful figure has emerged in the Muslim world, and his newly founded religion is gaining followers worldwide. Shockingly, on Easter Sunday, his followers declared him to be the new pope, and the next day, the Vatican announced that Pope Francis had passed away…

Abdullah Hashem Aba Al-Sadiq, commonly known as Abdullah Hashem, was born in 1983 in Indiana to an Egyptian father and an American mother. He is an Egyptian-American and the founder of the Hamada Religion of Peace and Light (AROPL), not to be confused with the Ahmadiyya community discriminated against in Pakistan. He claims to be the Qa’im Al Muhammad, the reincarnation or second coming of Muhammad and the Mahdi (Messiah). Adherents of the religion believe him to be the second of twelve Mahdis appointed in the will of the Prophet Mohammed.

[The AROPL] group’s central mission is to build the Divine Just State, which a divinely appointed king will rule. This will be a theocratic state with the king appointed by, and a representative of, God rather than through a democratic election process. The AROPL is opposed to the idea of democracy.

He claims to be the “living successor of both Prophet Muhammad and Jesus Christ,” and his sermons bring “a divine message to the global Christian community.” He also claims to be “the successor to Simon Peter, the successor to Jesus Christ, the true and legitimate Pope.” (“The Muslim Messiah Is Here and He Is Coming to Replace the Pope,” Israel 365 News, May 1, 2025)

I believe we are witnessing with the story above one of the first signals of the end of the age Jesus gave in answer to that question by His disciples.

And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you. For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (Matthew 24:4–5)

A few years ago, I wrote about a report of a young Jewish man who displayed supernatural powers, according to some of the Jewish religious hierarchy. At the time, many were touting him as possibly being Israel’s long-awaited Messiah.

I tried to find that article, but I have so many files that I haven’t been able to locate that commentary yet.

Obviously that Jewish phenom-man’s seeming supernatural displays faded into the burgeoning milieu engulfing the Jewish people and state.

“Messiah mania” among the Muslim world joins now in pointing to the lateness of the prophetic hour. The news item above tells of the Muslim candidate for Messiah (Mahdi) claiming to be the “living successor” to both Mohammed and Jesus Christ.

This assertion is almost certainly yet another of the end-of-the-age, false-Christ proclamations the Lord warned about.

Hoopla concerning the emergence of an Islamic messiah generates no angst for the world’s mainstream press. Any talk, however, of the Jewish Messiah coming to make Israel the head of all nations, of course, doesn’t sit well with the majority of earth’s powers that be. All but a very few countries object vehemently to Israel’s right to nationhood. Most, by far, believe Israel is an intruder in the Middle East, an imposter that has usurped the Palestinians’ rightful claims to the land. All nations—sadly, including America—still seek to divide the land granted to Israel by the God who created all that exists.

The “Messiah mania” we’re beginning to witness today is yet another end-times indicator for prophecy watchers to take into account.

Israel’s cry for their Messiah will—again, sadly—result in their accepting a false savior, one who will impose upon the Jewish people a holocaust more horrendous than the one with a capital “H” that was accomplished by the Nazi regime.

Antichrist will inflict upon that people a “final solution” that will try yet again to achieve Satan’s ages-long rage to rid the world of the Jew.

Thankfully, that attempt will result in Lucifer and his followers being destroyed in judgment from on high.

Israel will be a nation forever. We have God’s very word on it.

And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you. And I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojourning, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. (Genesis 17:7–8)

At the outset, I must be honest and say those of us who hold the Lord Jesus Christ as the One and Only Way to Heaven and God the Father came down hard on Pope Francis, who passed into Eternity on what is termed Easter Monday, April 21.

The reasons for our being against this pope go far beyond our belief that the Catholic Church puts forth false teaching that varies in demonically inspired ways. This particular pope, Jorge Mario Bergoglio, who chose the name Francis upon being elected as Pontiff following the resignation of Pope Benedict in 2013, consistently stated views he held that directly indicated he didn’t understand Jesus Christ to be the One and Only Way to Salvation.

My long-time friend and great Bible Prophecy teacher and broadcaster Dr. David Reagan listed for us this pope’s missing the mark about the Lord Jesus Christ and the Salvation issue.

In May of 2013, Pope Francis said that atheists could go to Heaven “if they lead good and honorable lives.”

In July of 2013, when asked if homosexuals could serve as priests, he replied: “If someone is gay and he searches for the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge?”

In November of 2015, he proclaimed that “Christians and Muslims are brothers and sisters.” In June 2016, Pope Francis issued his first video. In it, he expressed his belief that all the major religions are different paths to the same God. Following this shocking revelation, the video featured persons from different world religions expressing confidence in their various gods. The video then closed with the pope expressing his belief that regardless of religious profession, “we are all children of God.”

In May of 2023, he emphasized “doing good” as the principle that unites all humanity. He added, “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the blood of Christ — not just Catholics. Everyone! Even the atheists. Everyone! … We must meet one another doing good.”

In December 2023, he authorized priests to bless same-sex couples.

The apostasy of Pope Francis was reinforced recently when he boldly proclaimed that there are many different roads to God. He made this declaration while speaking in Singapore in September of 2024. Specifically, he said, “There’s only one God, and each of us has a language to arrive at God. Some are Sikh, Muslim, Hindu, Christian, and they are different paths [to God].” Actually, this was nothing new for him. It was simply a more precise definition of what he had proclaimed in his infamous video of June 2016.

The Climax of Catholic Apostasy

These outreaches to world religions, regardless of the gods they worship, have now come to a climax with Pope Francis’ proclamation that all religions are roads to the same God.

This proclamation makes a mockery of the sacrifice of Jesus. It also makes Jesus a liar when He proclaimed, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Further, it is directly contrary to the Apostle Peter’s declaration that “There is salvation in no one else [except Jesus]; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Source: ‘Doctrines of Demons’: Pope Francis Dies As The Most Influential And Dangerous False Teacher, Berean Review, article by Dr. David Reagan, founder of Lamb, Lion Ministry and Christ In Prophecy]

There is undeniable proof from this pope’s own words throughout his papacy, which tells us that he would greatly diminish, or even eliminate, the death, burial, and Resurrection of our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ.

Any other gospel…

Perhaps no other classification of prophetic indicators exhibits more ubiquitous/prolific such end-time signs in this generation than the category “other gospels.” The Scriptures are found back-to-back and are repeated by the Apostle Paul for emphasis.

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed” (Gal. 1:8-9).

This specific prophetic warning for the last generation just before Christ’s return is again given by the great apostle and prophet, Paul:

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

Satan comes at this generation with a full, frontal assault that no Christian should fail to recognize. Tragically, most do miss the attacks, so wrapped in the entertainment hyperbole of the day are they, their eyes on the glitter and glitz of the Hollywood hucksters of lasciviousness.

Endtime Doctrines and Seducing Spirits

Again, God’s warning through Paul the apostle is clear about the matter. The endtime generation will experience a great increase in false doctrines that seduce the people of that era.

“Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth” (1 Tim. 4:1-3).

Sadly, much of the replacement theology of our time –including that of the Catholic Church– is based in this satanic tripe because of the ignorance of those who hold to the belief that Israel no longer is heir to God’s promises to them. The blasphemy of claiming God would ever renege on an unconditional promise is held as doctrinal truth by major denominations within Christianity today. I believe it is one of the key elements of doctrinal integrity that will one day separate the Philadelphian Church from the Laodicean (read Rev. 3:7-19).

It is incredible that we could come to this point in the perversion of God’s truth. But, here we are, right on schedule in relationship to all other prophetic signs of the times, so far as God’s prophetic Word is concerned.

As disturbing as these blasphemies are, there are others far more troubling, in my view. They are far more troubling because they come, supposedly, from within Christianity. The most egregious examples are the new Bible versions based upon texts other than the authorized.

There isn’t space to go into detail here, but the new “Bibles” that tone down the blood atonement of Christ, His death, burial, and resurrection, or that relegate God to gender-neutral status rather than acknowledging Him in the masculine –that try to present a message that we shouldn’t concern ourselves with things like judgment, punishment, or Hell –that we shouldn’t concern ourselves with Christ’s coming again and the prophetic Word, are not Heaven-sent but hell-spawned.

Let us not be deceived by those who seek to diminish Jesus Christ in any form. Let’s not fall for any other gospel, but be fortified and edified by that once given –the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy (Rev. 19:10). That is essential to understand in this last time.

We’ve looked many times at Israel’s destiny and what things will look like for that prophetic nation as the time of Christ’s return nears. One primary prophecy in this regard is from Zechariah, as again, we have looked at many times.

The burden of the word of the LORD for Israel, saith the LORD, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him. Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. (Zechariah 12: 1-3)

My purpose here, as usual, is to focus on how near we must be to that promise found in the great unveiling of the glory of the King of all kings when He breaks through the dark, tumultuous clouds of Tribulation at the time of Armageddon (read Revelation 19:11).

God has promised His chosen people of His chosen nation Israel, that, even prior to Armageddon, He will intervene at the time all the world tries to force Israel from the midst of nations. He tells through the prophet Zechariah that all nations will eventually come against Israel.

All the nations of the world are represented to one extent or the other by the United Nations (UN). Can we see any anti-Israel bias in this organization at present?

We consider the following news item excerpt to find an answer.

18 September 2024 Peace and Security

The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly to adopt a resolution that demands that Israel “brings to an end without delay its unlawful presence” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

With a recorded vote of 124 nations in favour, 14 against, and 43 abstentions, the resolution calls for Israel to comply with international law and withdraw its military forces, immediately cease all new settlement activity, evacuate all settlers from occupied land, and dismantle parts of the separation wall it constructed inside the occupied West Bank.

The General Assembly further demanded that Israel return land and other “immovable property”, as well as all assets seized since the occupation began in 1967, and all cultural property and assets taken from Palestinians and Palestinian institutions.

The resolution also demands Israel allow all Palestinians displaced during the occupation to return to their place of origin and make reparation for the damage caused by its occupation. (“UN General Assembly demands Israel end ‘unlawful presence’ in Occupied Palestinian Territory,” By Vibhu Mishra,  UN News)

All of this is in answer to one of the most heinous attacks in history–that perpetrated by Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023.

Satan has seemingly entered the mind of much of the world—at least those represented in the UN who have joined in voting to come against the Jewish state. But the Lord, who watches over Israel and who neither slumbers nor sleeps, has guaranteed severe countermeasures against the satanically inspired anti-Semitic forces of history.

All who curse Israel will be cursed, and all who bless Israel will be blessed, as it is written (Genesis 12: 3). We can examine the nations and peoples of history that have cursed God’s chosen and find them in the dustbins of history, or not at all.

Germany’s downfall and history of domination by a satanically inspired Soviet regime is a modern proof of God’s promise to curse those who curse Israel. The Soviet Union itself dealt harshly with the Jews, and it, too, was cursed, and continues to be so to this day as once-again called Russia.

The United States has been mightily blessed, on the other hand, having been an instrumentally used by Israel’s God in bringing the Jews again into the land God promised them.

Satan is obviously working with all his being to bring anti-Semitism to America–particularly infecting a significant number of youthful minds within the Ivy League schools.

At the same time, the Lord has, I’m convinced, raised a champion for Israel in the US at this juncture so near the end of this Age of Grace.

Like his manners or not, President Donald J. Trump continues to prove his friendship with and his determination to protect Israel in its modern reincarnation. –This while the geopolitical and national political left joins those UN forces arrayed against Israel, blaming the Jews even for what happened that evil day of October 7, 2023.

It is flabbergasting that even Jews within American government and within the institutions of higher learning such as in Harvard, Columbia, and others join the mantra to remove all Jews from the river to the sea, as is the luciferic chant promoted by mainstream news media each and every day.

However, it is heartening that God obviously is meeting this Zechariah 12-level hatred with strength to safeguard Israel emanating for the most powerful nation-state on the planet. I strongly suspect that we are about to witness that power on display against Israel’s chief nation-state enemy and its attempt to produce nuclear weaponry which Iran would certainly use to, as vowed, destroy Israel. –This action against Iran being probable despite critics who lately declare that Trump seems to be noncommittal or even have a change of mind on destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons laboratories.

For this reason–the protective nation-partnership with Israel—and the fact that God’s family, the born-again, remain in this country, there is hope that the United States will survive this end-of-the-age, satanically spawned evil at least until Jesus steps out on the clouds of Glory and shouts “Come up here!”

Here is how to be part of that family of God that will hear Jesus when He calls in the Rapture.

That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10: 9-10)

Although fears of the sights of drones invading the air space, particularly in the northeast environs of the US, have faded, the matters involving UFOs, now called UAPs, remain in the minds of the public. I have written about the prophetic implications, especially for the post-Rapture time, when, as I contend, Satan will use such stellar spectaculars to delude those left behind.

One well-known pundit and podcast host weighed in last year on how things might be setting up for that delusion.

Joe Rogan floated a theory about recent mystery drone sightings on Tuesday’s episode of his podcast The Joe Rogan Experience, suggesting the government has deployed drones to acclimate Americans to unidentified flying objects (UFOs)…

During his Tuesday episode, Rogan said it’s possible that the government is “not concerned because this is something they are doing with us, what if they are trying to get us comfortable because they know some real UAPs [unidentified anomalous phenomena] are on the way.”

He added: “If you really wanted to get people relaxed to the idea of flying saucers.… If you knew that was coming and you didn’t want mass panic, what would you do? You would trickle it in, you would trickle it in slowly, saying that by having drones hover over cities for several weeks or months, it would get people really accustomed to the news cycle having UAPs, and then real ones show up. (“Joe Rogan Has Theory Officials Deployed Drones to Get People Used to UFOs,” by Mandy Taheri, Newsweek,  Dec 17, 2024)

Satan, according to Bible prophecy, plans spectacular displays of fireworks and other supernatural pyrotechnics for the Tribulation, the last seven years before Christ’s Second Advent. Those phenomena will, again, take place in the atmosphere above earth and in space. We are given that warning in the following Scripture:

And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men, And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do… (Revelation 13:13–14).

Jesus made it clear that the phenomena that will come at the end of days will be fearsome to behold:

And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken. (Luke 21:25–26).

There is coming a second great war in the heavenlies, and it will make H. G. Wells’ War of the Worlds fiction look tame by comparison. The resulting devastation and carnage will cause the hearts of earth-dwellers of the Tribulation era to explode with adrenalin-pumped fear. However, and strangely perhaps, from our mortal perspective, Lucifer, now named Satan and called “the Devil,” continues to be given access to God’s throne, above which he was once a guardian.

He is now an accuser of believers in Jesus Christ.

The first war of all creation—not just a war of mortal worlds, or of galaxies—took place when Lucifer and the angels who joined him in rebellion against the Most High were cast out of God’s realm. That is, they were no longer a part of God’s kingdom, but now were forever lost, outside of God’s eternal kingdom.

We know that Lucifer, the fallen one, came before God to ask to be allowed to torment and test the great man of God, Job. He asked the Lord to ”sift,” or put the Apostle Peter to a similar torturous testing. Satan will be allowed to come before the throne of God until a certain point. We learn this in the following:

And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. (Revelation 12:10)

And, this Scripture brings us to the fiercest part of human history for Tribulation earth-dwellers. It will be the second great war of the Creation–the war of two worlds, eternally apart in their intents and purposes. Satan and his fallen angelic armies are to be removed from the very presence of God and confined to planet Earth.

Now that isn’t such good prophetic news for flesh-and-blood earth-dwellers of that future time of apocalypse! The prophecy tells us:

And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)

Jesus said, of that time:

And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (Luke 10:18)

John the prophet and apostle was given the words to encourage believers and forewarn unbelievers down through the centuries:

Therefore rejoice, [ye] heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. (Revelation 12:12)

The great Apostle Peter forewarned of this rage Satan has for all of God’s human creation, and for believers in particular:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour… (1 Peter 5: 8)

God has placed so much in His Word to warn about this adversary and his legions, the devil and his minions, that the evil that has been in all the cosmos since that first great war in Heaven must saturate every aspect of existence. But, we who name the name of Jesus Christ can take comfort. We are on the other side–the other spiritual dimension of this cataclysmic collision of supernatural worlds.

It is true that we who are flesh and blood must, for now, exist side by side with that dimension, because we live in a third dimension–one we perceive to be reality, but which is really existence that is no more than a vapor, in terms of God’s eternal economy. But, we are not left without defense against our horrific enemies that comprise Satan’s evil forces. God tells us in Ephesians 6:10–18 that not only CAN we stand against Satan and his evil, but that it is our duty to do so. He promises to provide armor to fight the good fight. But, we are required to put it on. And, it is not a defensive, but an offensive strategy the Lord demands. Our defense, you see, IS our offense: the cross of the Lord Jesus!

Here is how to assure you have on the whole armor of God for the battles ahead. And it is that truth therein contained which then engulfs the believer and will keep God’s family from the time of Satan’s deluding invasion of planet Earth.

That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)

The Scripture is haunting. It echoes and reverberates throughout the spiritual hallways of the Church with each passing hour:

Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils. (1 Timothy 4:1)

This forewarning fits into the last-days pattern also given by the Apostle Paul in the familiar prophetic passage:

 Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of Perdition. (2 Thessalonians 2:3)

The “falling away,” apostasia in Greek, means a “departure from.” Paul prophesied in the 2 Timothy 4:1 passage that there will come a time at the end of the Church Age when people will depart from the “faith.” He says in 2 Thessalonians that this will be a general “falling away,” the apostasy of the end time. What is this “faith” from which people will fall away, and who are the “people” who will fall away? Another crucial question is: Can the departure that God, through Paul, warned about be recognized when it occurs?

“Faith,” as here defined, must, by context, be the faith in the One who is at the heart of the gospel—faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lamb of God, chosen from the foundation of the world to be the propitiation for the sin that separates fallen humanity from God. It is the faith you and I must have in order to confess with our mouths that Jesus is the Only Begotten Son of God, and to believe in the deepest part of our spirits that God raised Him from the dead.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. (Romans 10:9)

A person can’t fall from a position (doctrinally speaking, in this case) he never has attained. The “people,” then, whom Paul the apostle is writing about in his prophecies of 1 Timothy 4:1 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3 are those who have believed in Jesus Christ for salvation of their souls.

This brings us to the question: Can the departure God, through Paul, warned about be recognized when it occurs? To recognize that “falling away”—that apostasia, or apostasy—when it begins to happen, will almost certainly give the Christian attuned to God’s will a heads-up on the nearness of the Tribulation era, thus to the nearness of the Rapture of the Church.

We’ve looked at the “faith” as faith in Jesus for salvation, and at the “people” who will “depart” from the faith as being the Church—that is, the true Christians who are alive at the time of the end, when the apostasy takes place.

Although there are those who think this departure includes the possibility of one losing one’s salvation, the “falling away” of 2 Thessalonians 2:3 cannot include that meaning. A quick look at Romans 8:38 and 39, to name just one security-of-the-believer passage, shows that God’s Word teaches that the believer can’t depart from the Heavenly Father to the point of losing his or her family status. Jesus, in John chapter 17, makes that absolutely clear. I suggest that if you have questions about this, read the Scriptures I just mentioned.

What, then, is meant by “departing from the faith”? Glad you asked. The “faith” mentioned in 2 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy 2:3 is a collection of faith principles wrapped up in the Lord Jesus Christ. These principles are doctrines put forth by the Word of God. The Word of God is none other than the Lord Jesus:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (John 1:1)

“People” at the time of the “falling away” will “depart” from the “faith”–the doctrines put forth by the Word of God, who is Jesus Christ. This departure will mark the generation of Christians at the very end of the Church Age.

The question that applies most relevantly to us today is: Are we seeing signals of the departure?

We have analyzed, dissected, examined, and inspected every end-time signal found in God’s Word many times in these commentaries: Israel again being in the land of promise; the EU looking to be the reviving Roman Empire; Russia, Persia (modern Iran), and other nations looking to be a nucleus that will one day form the Gog-Magog force of Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39. These, plus, all the other end-time characteristics of this generation.

However, I believe the most insidious of all the things taking place under the clever, devious hand of the devil—Satan—is the falling away, the departure from the faith being currently orchestrated by Lucifer, the fallen one.

This departure is evident to the spiritually discerning when looking at the church-growth movement. This “seeker-friendly” approach to both the saved and the lost (all who don’t know Christ) through New Age, corporation-type seminar seductiveness and brainwashing techniques that water down or completely eliminate true Bible doctrine has led in a profound departure from the “faith once delivered” (see Jude 1: 3).

The new paradigm instituted by the champions of the church-growth movement has been the shift from New Testament Christianity to “new spirituality-driven Christianity.” Like in the modern corporate organization, invented in large part by German economic guru Peter Drucker, who mentored some of the leading designers of the church-growth movement, the system is more an organism than an organization—adopting Drucker’s model based upon Freudian psychology and Darwinian evolutionary principles. The individual is assigned a value, and he or she must fit in or be removed from the system. To put it as I long ago heard one person of the movement say: “Pillars just hold things up. So, they need to be moved out of the way.” So, those who hold to doctrine must get out of the way so no one will have their feelings hurt by talk of sin, blood atonement, and eternal punishment in the place called Hell, if repentance is not forthcoming. Again, the Apostle Paul wrote God’s view of this watering-down of doctrine:

But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. (Galatians 1:8)

Are we at the point of departure from the faith prophesied for the very end of the Church Age? Maybe we can get a better sense by looking at one more area of Scripture pertaining to the matter:

I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (2 Timothy 4:1–4)

 There is another prophetically scheduled departure to consider. It’s the one we should be looking forward to. It is a God-ordained departure that will remove every child of God of the Church Age–living and dead—from the earth in one millisecond:

Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. (Titus 2:13)

 Based upon the spiritual departure from the true faith we are seeing, the physical (spacial) departure of the Church from planet earth in the Rapture must be near indeed!

At the outset, I want to give much attribution to my good friend Bill Salus. He has done tremendous work on bringing information to the forefront of understanding of likely prophetic developments in the general geographical region surrounding Israel.

In particular, his research and writing about the movement toward prophetic fulfillment of Iran’s destiny with regard to that regime’s hatred for Israel is obviously, I think, Holy Spirit directed. I recommend his great books about prophecy involving Israel in these last days.

I have relied heavily in writing this article on material from Bill’s book, The Now Prophecies. His treatment, especially in the matter of the foretelling of Iran (ancient Persia) and its coming against God’s chosen people, Israel, is, to me, almost prescient in its discernment of where we stand exactly at this late hour of the end of the age.

At this moment, there is, according to those who observe likely imminent military action of a major sort, a building force whose intent is to fulfill Israel’s prime minister’s and America’s president’s collective pledge. Both Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald J. Trump have vowed that Iran’s terrorist-spawning regime, which has nuclear development facilities deeply within a mountainous area — will never have an atomic weapon. The following news item explains the nature and extent of these leaders preparing to fulfill that pledge.

(Worthy News) – The U.S. has extended the USS Harry S. Truman’s Red Sea deployment, dispatched another carrier to the Middle East, and deployed five B-2 stealth bombers to Diego Garcia—signaling that military strikes on Iran may be imminent as President Trump’s ultimatum to Iran’s Supreme Leader over its nuclear program looms.

While media attention has centered on “Signal Gate”—where leftist Atlantic journalist Jeffrey Goldberg was mistakenly added to a Trump administration group chat on the current actions of the U.S. military against Iranian-backed Houthis in Yemen—the U.S. military has been quietly ramping up its regional buildup.

The joint UK-U.S. base at Diego Garcia—key in past campaigns like Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2003)—is once again seeing a buildup, signaling possible preparations for airstrikes in the Middle East.

At least five B-2 stealth bombers have arrived at Diego Garcia, joining four already stationed there, with more reportedly en route.

Satellite imagery shared on social media revealed three C-17 cargo planes and 11 KC-135 refueling tankers were also deployed to Diego Garcia within the past 48 hours, underscoring the base’s strategic role as a U.S. staging ground for a potential strike against Iran and supporting the current Trump administration’s actions against the Houthis…

The increased military presence in the Middle East serves as an active warning to Iran, whose Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei received a two-month ultimatum from Donald Trump last week.

Also taking place this week, senior U.S. and Israeli officials are holding high-level talks concerning Iran’s nuclear program in Washington. (“U.S. Ramps Up Military Presence in the Middle East Ahead of Possible Iranian Strike,” Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent, Worthy Christian News, Wednesday, March 26, 2025)

For literally years, the reports have been that Iran is on the very brink of having a working nuclear weapon. This within a radical Islamic regime that has declared they will destroy completely both “the great Satan” and “the little Satan”—meaning America and Israel. So it has been, to many–including me—the question: Why, if Iran was so close to developing such lethality, hasn’t action been taken to make sure atomic weaponry is never held in the hands of the satanically insane ayatollahs?

This action by this president–moving such massively lethal assets into that region at this time—looks to be indeed the quickly approaching moment of truth. This president means business as has no president since Ronald Reagan, in my view. This time, I think Iran–that ancient area of Persia—is near the moment of having usable atomic weaponry. This will not be allowed to stand—not by Prime Minister Netanyahu, President Trump, or, if this is the time of fulfillment, more importantly, by the God of Heaven, who gave Jeremiah the prophet the following to prophesy:

The word of the LORD that came to Jeremiah the prophet against Elam, in the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah king of Judah, saying, “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, I will break the bow of Elam, The foremost of their might. Against Elam I will bring the four winds From the four quarters of heaven, And scatter them toward all those winds; There shall be no nations where the outcasts of Elam will not go. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies And before those who seek their life. I will bring disaster upon them, My fierce anger,’ says the LORD; ‘And I will send the sword after them Until I have consumed them. I will set My throne in Elam, And will destroy from there the king and the princes,’ says the LORD. ‘But it shall come to pass in the latter days: I will bring back the captives of Elam,’ says the LORD.” (Jeremiah 49:34–39, NKJV)

In my friend Bill Salus’ excellent book of several years ago, The Now Prophecies, which I mentioned earlier, he wrote the following:

Summarizing the Elam Prophecy

In this prophecy Jeremiah declares that a time would arrive when the Lord would be furious with the leadership of Iran. We know this because Jeremiah 49:38 says that the kings and the princes will be destroyed. This most likely represents the Iranian government in place when the prophecy occurs. The Lord would never destroy good kings and princes, so we can safely presume that bad Iranian leadership is the problem…

But why is the Lord fiercely angry with the government of Iran at the time of the prophecy? The reason is because Iran wants to launch something powerful somewhere. This is why the Lord will break the bow at the foremost of Iran’s might in order to prevent such a lethal launch.

But where does Iran want to launch something powerful? Apparently, it wasn’t Iraq because the Lord didn’t prevent scores of Iranian missiles from landing in Iraq during the Iran-Iraq war of 1980-1988. Thus, it must be somewhere else, perhaps Israel. The prophecy doesn’t tell us specifically where, but it does tell us that Iran has enemies, plural, when the prophecy happens.

This qualifies Israel today, because Iran has declared on numerous occasions that it wants to wipe Israel off of the map. Thus, it is safe to say that Israel and Iran are presently enemies. Should Iran get nuclear weapons, the destruction of Israel becomes a strong possibility. Even the attempted destruction of Israel is not something the Lord will tolerate! (The Now Prophecies, Bill Salus, Prophecy Depot Publishing, 2016, ISBN – 978-0-9887260-7-9; find all of Bill’s great books at http://www.prophecydepot.com)

With fulfillment of such earth-shattering Bible prophecy in view, and with all other end-times signals bursting forth all around this generation, the most profound of all prophecies prior to the Second Advent of our Lord must be near fulfillment indeed!

The Rapture of all believers from this judgment-bound planet is surely at the door.

Even so, come, Lord Jesus!

Just when some might’ve thought the world was looking better with the second coming of Donald J. Trump, the truth of what these last days will look like leaps from the news. That news demonstrates the absolute veracity of God’s Word–the prophetic Word in particular.

The prophetic Word that today’s news validates as proof of the late hour of this dispensation–the Age of Grace—involves what the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write. In a general sense, the following frames the condition that will be prevalent while the return of Christ nears:

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13)

Paul further tells why humankind is moving ever deeper into anti-God evil:

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient. (Romans 1:28)

Paul had just explained how sinfulness had convinced the human race to do what was right in their own eyes. They even changed the God-prescribed sexual order, leading men to sexually interact with men and women to sexually interact with women. They worshipped idols fashioned after the created order–fish, birds, mammals, and other things. They worshipped anything and everything other than the True Creator–the God of Heaven, the only God. They totally threw off Heaven’s governance.

We come to our time on this fallen planet and examine how Paul’s words have worked out.

Have we seen any of this warning in Romans 1 play out as time has progressed? Has humankind grown worse and worse, as Paul predicted? Has humanity actually become more anti-God with regard to God’s prescription for sexual interaction between men and women? Has anyone heard of the LGBTQ+, etc., movements that more and more dominate culture and society today?

Have we witnessed any attempts by anti-God forces to change God’s order in any ways of significance besides the efforts of those driving the LGBTQ+ wickedness that now saturates the cultural landscapes of America and the Western world?

The answer is, of course, a resounding Yes!

I choose the title for today’s post because I’m convicted that the Apostle Paul’s declaration that God turns those who are opposed to Him over to a reprobate mind is blatantly obvious at this moment. That is, the anti-God forces of this world have now a satanically engendered insanity–an enraged, upside-down inability to think the way God intended for humankind.

This satanic insanity–this reprobate mind—is starkly on display for all to see in consideration of the news item that follows.

Just when you thought the insanity was starting to subside with Democrats out of office, we learn last week that New Jersey hospitals are now requesting parents to specify their baby’s preferred pronouns and sexual orientation, according to a report from the NY Post.

Inspira Health’s “Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Questionnaire” asks parents to “identify” their baby as “Male, Female, Transgender, GenderQueer,” or “Additional gender category.”

The healthcare system, which runs multiple hospitals and centers in South Jersey, introduced the form last year to comply with a new state law requiring providers to collect demographic and identity data “in a culturally competent and sensitive manner.”

One 34 year old resident told the Post: “That form is completely crazy, and anyone who would dictate a baby’s sexual orientation probably has an agenda. If I was told to fill this out, I’d rip it up in front of them. It feels like we’ve entered ‘The Twilight Zone.’”

Another mom-to-be commented: “Identifying my baby as gay on Day 1 is insane. I had no idea about this form and I’m shocked.”

New Jersey State Sen. Holly Schepisi (R-Bergen) criticized the form, calling it “lacking such common sense” and having “no medical value.” She noted how overwhelming childbirth is, saying, “To be handed that sort of form in the midst of all that has no medical value, it makes no sense.”

Schepisi sparked debate by sharing a photo of the form on Facebook, with many questioning its authenticity. She plans to introduce a bill next week to restrict such data collection to patients 16 and older, arguing the mandate was rushed through the legislature with little scrutiny. (“GenderQueer” Newborns? Jersey Hospitals Now Ask For Newborn’s “Preferred Pronouns” And “Sexual Orientation,” Tyler Durden, ZeroHedge, March 18, 2025)

Fallen humanity is indeed infected by Lucifer’s “I wills” of Isaiah 14:14. Just as Satan intends to change God’s order in every way possible, the fallen (reprobate) minds now have the luciferian (satanic) iniquitous infection/comportment, which God will soon destroy with His Son’s return (Revelation 19:11).

You don’t want to be under the Lord’s judgment and wrath when Christ comes to put an end to the evil presently dominating this doomed planet.

Here is how to be brought into God’s family and eternal glory with the Heavenly Father, who loves you and sent His Son Jesus to die to bring redemption from sin.

That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)

Author’s note: This week’s blog post was first published on September 15, 2008. Today the problem of those who “revile” the Rapture hasn’t abated. As a matter of fact, according to the weekly comments I get, almost exclusively from those who are presumably born again, the invective against the Rapture is on the increase, not on the decline.

So addressing again, at this particular time, this denial of Christ’s promise to rescue His Church, as He did in giving John His guarantee as recorded in Revelation 3:10, is altogether appropriate. 

An emailer this past week addressed an ongoing matter that is perplexing, in that Christians read the same Word from God—the Bible—yet the message the children of God take from the same passages they read can be so different as to be troubling. Nowhere in the Holy Scriptures is this divergence of inferred meanings more pronounced than those pertaining to prophecy yet future—narrowing the problem, thinking about the Rapture of the Church.

Here are the emailer’s words, with a few redactions for the sake of not wanting to violate privacy, or to cast aspersions on specific people.

Hello Terry, I just wanted to ask you a question, and possibly have you post this on your “Interesting Email” for other visitors who have possibly had a similar experience. I listen to [a well-known Bible teacher and radio program host] every morning on my way to work. I consider him to be a “true born-again Christian,” and really enjoy hearing his teachings. He seems very knowledgeable of God’s Word. I have never heard anything from him that contradicts the word of God. However, on a recent radio program, he was teaching on the millennium… [He] was expounding on “premillennium,” “amillennium,” and “post-millennium.”

I know that he has a theological education of these issues [that] exceeds most layman’s understanding, but there was something that he said upset me during this broadcast. He happened to bring up the pretribulation rapture, and to me, he sounded as if he had contempt for the theory of a pretrib rapture.

Now, here is where my question comes in. Why do most theologians today seem to have this contempt, if I may call it that, for any teaching on a pretrib rapture? To paraphrase [the radio host’s words] on this, he said that he has never been able to find even one shred of evidence of a pretribulation rapture in the bible, and from the sound of his voice when he said it, I guess I formed my own opinion that he had contempt for this theory. Anyway, the point I am try to make here is that I realize Christians do not have to agree on this idea to receive salvation and enter the kingdom of heaven as long as they are grounded in sound doctrine concerning the true meaning of salvation: that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, and no man can come to the Father except through Him and His blood sacrifice on the cross. I just don’t understand why a pretribulation rapture theory seems to provoke people to the point of becoming hostile of this theory, and sometimes, even toward the Christians [who] believe it. Personally, I believe that the pretrib rapture can be found in Scripture if a person will just read God’s Word with an open heart and mind, along with prayer for the Holy Spirit to guide them.

This question by our Rapture Ready friend involves things that have always puzzled me, too, and I’ve written about matters attendant to the subject on a number of occasions. Why the vitriol, the seeming hatred for the pre-Trib view, even for those of us who teach the Bible from a pre-Trib Rapture view?

I believe it flows from satanic rage that affects even the born again.

To know who is right—these like the radio host to whom the emailer refers (who believe the pre-Trib Rapture is a lie from the pit of hell, as they sometimes put it) or we who teach the pre-Trib Rapture—it is best to just examine what’s going on all around us these days.

A large segment of the Rapture revilers say all prophecy was fulfilled with the AD 70 destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem by Titus and the Roman legions. Some believe the world has, since that date, been in the Tribulation. They spiritualize and allegorize all prophecy we see as yet future.

They believe modern Israel isn’t God’s chosen, that God is finished with the Jews, and that the Church now has been given the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Is God indeed finished with Israel?

God’s Word says Israel will be a nation just before His Son returns. His chosen people will be hated. It will be at the center of all the world’s national chaos and controversy. Is this happening, or not?

There will be a false peace made between Israel and its enemies that will affect the whole world, God’s Word says. Do we see any peace process in progress that involves Israel, its enemies, and, in effect, the entire world?

There will be a great power due north of Jerusalem and Israel whose leader will “think an evil thought.” Do we see any sign of such a power due north of Israel?

Take a string on a globe and put it on Jerusalem. Run that string straight up from Jerusalem. Does that string bisect any major city? Moscow!

Persia, the prophetic Word of God says, will be a key partner with that leader and his nation, Rosh, the ancient name for the area that now is covered by Russia. These and a coalition called “Magog” will invade toward Israel, according to Ezekiel 38 and 39. Do we see any collusion between Persia (Iran today) and Rosh (Russia today)?

There will be a coming back together, the Bible says, of the ancient Roman Empire (the last empire of Nebuchadnezzar’s metallic man-image as seen in the Babylonian king’s night-vision). Do we see that development taking place in our news today? Yes. The European Union.

Many like the radio host/teacher the emailer mentions believe this world will be made better and better until Christ comes back to assume the earthly throne. Do we see the world getting better and better? Or is the world getting worse, according to the daily and hourly news headlines, just like prophetic Scripture predicts?

There are another dozen or more signals I could mention to draw the comparison between the beliefs the preterists and other anti-Rapture teachers hold and the pre-Trib/dispensational view we hold. Space does not allow.

The preponderance of evidence, both biblical and literal (things in the news), comes down thunderously on the side of the pretribulational, premillennial view of eschatology.

Why do they hate the pre-Trib view and the Rapture teaching in considering things to come? I’m convinced it is because Satan hates Israel and the Lord’s plan to save remnants out of Israel and out of humankind in general.

These who hurl invectives are deluded, in denial. I don’t doubt their salvation. But I do doubt their faithful adherence to God’s prophetic Word. They prefer man-made eschatology, and that is given not by the Holy Spirit, but by Lucifer, the fallen one. One prophecy in particular speaks to the Rapture revilers’ attitude toward Christ’s coming in a sudden, unexpected intrusion upon a world that will be conducting its nefarious business as usual:

Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts, And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation. (2 Peter 3:3–4).

Jesus, I am convicted, spoke to this very end-times moment in which we now live in telling about His end-of-this-Age-of-Grace, sudden intervention into the intolerable wickedness of humankind. By the use of the adjective “intolerable,” I mean in the eyes of our Holy God.

Jesus described the time of that future intervention, as we’ve looked at many times in this column. He said it will be like it was in the days of Noah and, more specifically, in the days of Lot, when He will next bring catastrophic judgment to the earth like that with which God destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

Following Lot and his family being taken by the angels’ hands and removed from the doomed city of Sodom to a place of safety, sudden destruction fell from above, decimating that whole region that had become intolerable to Heaven’s sense of righteousness.

The people of Sodom and Gomorrah undoubtedly no longer recognized as wickedness the evil that occurred every day and every night. They had, apparently, willfully immersed themselves in the absolute immorality that had totally polluted their society and culture. I think it’s fair to say this was the situation at that time because God destroyed all those living there, except for Lot and his family, with Jesus saying that Lot was “righteous in God’s eyes.” And that—God seeing Lot as righteous—obviously, we can conclude, was why Lot wasn’t so judged along with the others.

We leap forward now to our own time, examining and considering these days that almost certainly mirror those days of antiquity. If these days in which we live are the days about which Jesus prophesied —the time that will be like the time when Lot was removed so God’s judgment and wrath could fall—we must think on God’s method of removing the righteous so God’s sense of justice and righteousness can deal with the evil and wickedness of this world.

I choose not to go into all of the evil we’re witnessing all around us, and at every level, in this article. We’ve gone over these anti-God matters many, many times for, literally, years. I choose rather to think with you on a matter that’s among those of greatest interest to believers in Jesus Christ—the born again for salvation.

The Rapture of all born-again believers is inseparably linked to Jesus’ prophecy about the days of Lot in that Luke 17:26–30 account. The born-again believers in Christ for salvation of their souls are the righteous who, like Lot, will be removed at the Rapture (the twinkling-of-an-eye moment) when Jesus calls them into the clouds of Glory. This great event is, therefore, also linked inseparably to the sudden destruction that, like in the days of Lot, completely destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.

The Apostle Paul was shown the mystery that is the Rapture of the Church. Paul was also given, through Holy Spirit revelation, prophetic truth about the terrible judgment that will immediately begin to fall upon those left behind—those committed to the evil and wickedness of this fallen world.

The following is Paul’s warning in that regard, linking sudden destruction to the Rapture of all believers.

But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape. (1 Thessalonians 5:1–3)

The great apostle had, as recorded in the chapter just preceding this in 1 Thessalonians 5, gone into detail about the Rapture. He then gives the above prophecy, saying no one knows exactly when, but when the Rapture occurs, sudden destruction will come. This, of course, is exactly what our Lord said in the days of Lot prophecy.

At the same time the earth and those left behind are experiencing God’s judgment and wrath and the coming rule by Satan’s final dictator, Antichrist, all who have gone to Christ at the moment of Rapture will experience a “dynamic destiny.”

Here is the “mystery” the Lord told his immediate disciples—and what He later revealed to Paul, and, through His recorded words in the Bible, gave the great message of comfort for all of us who follow Jesus as our Savior and Lord:

Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:1–3)

And the Apostle Paul was further given, through Holy Spirit enlightenment, an exciting promise of the dynamic destiny of every believer at the moment of Rapture forward into eternity:

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. (1 Corinthians 2:9)

Again, Paul addresses the sudden destruction/dynamic destination matters, bringing them to a most comforting conclusion:

For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him. Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. (1 Thessalonians 5:9–11) 

Of course, if you don’t know the Lord Jesus Christ (haven’t accepted His grace gift offer for redemption from sin that separates your soul from God and Heaven), then you are, tragically, appointed to the wrath of God and His judgment for your sinful condition.

Here is how you can assure that you will not have to go through the Tribulation, or be eternally separated from God and Heaven:

That if you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and will believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart man believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. (Romans 10:9–10)